Yesterday, Apple released a 7-page document titled “Report on Government Information Requests” [Warning: PDF]. But one has to wonder how useful this is because of this statement:
“At the time of this report, the U.S. government does not allow Apple to disclose, except in broad ranges, the number of national security orders, the number of accounts affected by the orders, or whether content, such as emails, was disclosed. We strongly oppose this gag order, and Apple has made the case for relief from these restrictions in meetings and discussions with the White House, the U.S. Attorney General, congressional leaders, and the courts. Despite our extensive efforts in this area, we do not yet have an agreement that we feel adequately addresses our customers’ right to know how often and under what circumstances we provide data to law enforcement agencies.”
We believe that dialogue and advocacy are the most productive way to bring about a change in these policies, rather than filing a lawsuit against the U.S. government. Concurrent with the release of this report, we have filed an Amicus brief at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA Court) in support of a group of cases requesting greater transparency. Later this year, we will file a second Amicus brief at the Ninth Circuit in support of a case seeking greater transparency with respect to National Security Letters. We feel strongly that the government should lift the gag order and permit companies to disclose complete and accurate numbers regarding FISA requests and National Security Letters. We will continue to aggressively pursue our ability to be more transparent.”
Clearly that’s a problem. While I understand that governments have a need to look into certain things to keep you safe, there needs to be some degree of transparency around it to generate warm and fuzzy feelings. It’s a very interesting read and I encourage you to take a look at it. Though I will note that Apple also wants to use this reports to take shots at competitors (ahem: Google):
“Unlike many other companies dealing with requests for customer data from government agencies, Apple’s main business is not about collecting information.”
My response? It may not be their main business…. Yet.
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This entry was posted on November 6, 2013 at 9:03 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Apple, Privacy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Apple Details Requests For Info By Governments… Kind Of
Yesterday, Apple released a 7-page document titled “Report on Government Information Requests” [Warning: PDF]. But one has to wonder how useful this is because of this statement:
“At the time of this report, the U.S. government does not allow Apple to disclose, except in broad ranges, the number of national security orders, the number of accounts affected by the orders, or whether content, such as emails, was disclosed. We strongly oppose this gag order, and Apple has made the case for relief from these restrictions in meetings and discussions with the White House, the U.S. Attorney General, congressional leaders, and the courts. Despite our extensive efforts in this area, we do not yet have an agreement that we feel adequately addresses our customers’ right to know how often and under what circumstances we provide data to law enforcement agencies.”
We believe that dialogue and advocacy are the most productive way to bring about a change in these policies, rather than filing a lawsuit against the U.S. government. Concurrent with the release of this report, we have filed an Amicus brief at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA Court) in support of a group of cases requesting greater transparency. Later this year, we will file a second Amicus brief at the Ninth Circuit in support of a case seeking greater transparency with respect to National Security Letters. We feel strongly that the government should lift the gag order and permit companies to disclose complete and accurate numbers regarding FISA requests and National Security Letters. We will continue to aggressively pursue our ability to be more transparent.”
Clearly that’s a problem. While I understand that governments have a need to look into certain things to keep you safe, there needs to be some degree of transparency around it to generate warm and fuzzy feelings. It’s a very interesting read and I encourage you to take a look at it. Though I will note that Apple also wants to use this reports to take shots at competitors (ahem: Google):
“Unlike many other companies dealing with requests for customer data from government agencies, Apple’s main business is not about collecting information.”
My response? It may not be their main business…. Yet.
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This entry was posted on November 6, 2013 at 9:03 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Apple, Privacy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.